Rad Stuff

Sign up now, classes start Feb. 6th.

A friend and co-worker, the crazy talented Radford Sechrist is teaching a story class. I highly recommend it. I wish I could take it myself. He has an infectious curiosity and passion for learning and it's what makes him better and better every day. Check out his "How to" blog, so many valuable pointers. The guy knows his stuff and can explain it and make it understandable to anyone!

Speaking of Animation

A new site with animation tips and podcasts and everything else has just started! These guys are amazing and I can't wait to see what they do.

Speaking of Animation

Also, you guys can now check out my old student film from 2005 on Cartoon Mojo!

A couple of other sties I've really been enjoying lately are On Animation and Spungella

Hey You Guys! Charity Auction

Here's my submission, you can bid on it HERE. Bloodsport was one of my favorite movies as a kid. My brother and I would watch it on TV and then kick each other. For about a year and a half I knew how to do the splits! Like my childhood hero, Van Damme. No Van Damme movie is complete without his famous 360 Spining Jump Kick!



Come to the event!

HERE!

Enjoy the movie, Ghostbusters!

Bid on other artwork! AMAZING STUFF!

Here are some of the thumbnail drawings I did before hand.

Newest Dragon Trailer

Watch it HERE

International trailer, HERE

Hapi-hola-whene

Red Lights

from red plastic in front of a white light.

Car Toss 2

Car Toss 1

YeloNRange

another page

crayons and markers.

beardies

Page-To-Page

I was in the process of doing some little zines full of sketches, but got busy with other things. I still want to do some...

Misere v. Marquis

I recently got myself a copy of The Marquis: Inferno by Guy Davis and couldn't stop reading it once I had started. Some incredible story telling and of course he is one of my favorite artists around. I loved the designs of these two characters and knew I'd have to draw them, so here ya go.

On the Table

What ever's on the table.

Mustache!

Alaska

I did a bunch of little water color studies out on the deck. It was pretty cold out, but these were so small I could do them pretty fast and then go inside and enjoy the sights from inside.

This was from our departure in Seattle. Another ship left just before us and you could see it in the distance.


The back of the ship was a deck with tanning chairs and a little pool and right above was a night club.


These were near Skagway, Alaska. Again, these were really small.

max sketches

here are some of the sketches, brainstorms, and what not I did first. They are all very small. The final one fits on an 11x17, but I did it on animation paper.

The Max

I can't wait to see the finished movie! Got Arcade Fire and Wild Things on my mind. Go and check out Terrible Yellow Eyes if you are a fan too. There's some amazing artwork!

"-OOOOOOOooooooooo"

i'm lovin' this movie more and more. GET in the mood.

freeway night one

crash eight

crash seven

crash six

crash five

crash four

crash three

crash two

crash one

Bet Min.

012

011

010

gient

bring it

train-ing

colored waters

I forgot to do the stem! Argh!

more training

comp on train

Absolute Fun-ness!

Dude, I got this really great puzzle in the mail and I had to put it together right away because I LOVE puzzles!



Amazing work Justin.

Old Train Dude

The Guys

Anthony, Dave, and Joel from the Metrolink.

Con Crayons

Out for a Stroll

A Little More Space

Cored

Mo Cor

Post 700

And 200,000 hits. Thanks mom.

So these panels are from page 12. I have 18 pages done so far. A lot of it is crap, but it's all a learning process. Trying to just keep momentum at this point.

Ster Again

So as you can see, I'm stalling until I have a REAL post. I don't do a whole lot of finished drawings nowadays. I am working on the Bo and Sterling pages at the moment, but not sure if I'll do anything with it. Might just be a fun testing ground.


Anyhow, Panda did well again this past weekend. Looking forward to Wall-E this Friday!

Warehouse

Another warehouse drawing. This is from page one.

Ster

Uni-Mog

DAF Kalmar Tjorven

Loved this little car when I came across it. You'll have to Google it for more images, but it's a pretty silly car. Hopefully more cars on the way.

Mo T. S. Sullivant

A little Christmas present for those Sullivant geeks out there. The first page is my favorite. That fisherman and the ducks, the cowboys at the bottom, just awesome proportions. Enjoi.

Walt Kuhn: PART 2

As requested, more Walt Kuhn.

Everyone, make it a point to thank Jerm for letting me scans these images. BTW, this book is copyright 1906!

Only One Book???

Does anyone know anything about this guy, Walt Kuhn? There's this ONE book, which is a really great one, but I can't seem to find much more on him.

Misc. Nu Yokar

Marcellus Hall

This guy's work really stuck out to me. I like his color schemes, that mood. I cut these out from a New Yorker, but check out his webpage for more. He's also a musician! his myspace here.

Suard ina Stoan

Some More Goodies

Anyone remember reading this? It was in a "CalArts Current" newsletter back in 1998. It features a story about Kevin Lima and Brenda Chapman. If you don't know who they are, I suggest you read it. Brenda is at Pixar, and Kevin is directing Disney's "Enchanted". And at the bottom you'll notice a pictue and article about a couple of aminaters!



These are from a few years back. I checked these out of the library's foreign children's books section! I wish I'd gotten the artist's name.









And this is from a lady named Helen Ward.

Some Goodies

Like I'd mentioned before, I'm going through a lot of my scrap! and scanning things. Hopefully you guys will enjoy some of it.



Keeps his answers short and sweet.

Below is just a picture of the Cinderella Castle I liked.



This was written by Doug TenNapel about pitching. A friend of mine printed it out for me. I think it was originally linked here or something. This is his follow up post. And here's one more article.

Slawomir Idziak

Here's an excerpt from an interview with Slawomir Idziak, the cinematographer for Gattaca, Black Hawk Down, and the next Harry Potter movie:

KABINET: Did you study all aspects of filmmaking, or did you concentrate on cinematography?

IDZIAK: As a matter of fact, you have to concentrate on everything.... In Poland, we developed a completely different system -- probably because the country was secluded and was closed. The position of the cinematographic program was completely different than [the rest of] of the world: the cinematographer was the second most important person in the entire process of the making of the movie. And why so? Cinematographers are the co-authors of the script.

A Polish director, for him it is certainly normal to deliver a script to the cinematographer at the earliest possible stage of the writing -- as a treatment, you know. Kieslowski, having the two or three pages of the script, just delivered it immediately to me. I always start at the beginning of preparation, because it seems to me that as a whole, cinema is a collaborative art. I don't believe much in the so-called "auteur" cinema.... This tradition is quite a bit astonishing [in America]; I start a discussion about post-production, about the premise, but I'm expected to patiently [stand aside] speaking "blah-blah" about the lights and cameras. And all of a sudden they have somebody who is speaking much more in general. What is the premise about? What is the story? It is very hard to decide where to put the camera. Kieslowski...believed that the cinematographer is the one who brings him his world.... It never occurred to him to think, "Just put the camera here..." He expected me to block the scene, and think about all the compositions.

ANOTHER QUOTE:
"Having seminars with students, I'm trying always to explain to them that, in my opinion...we are not so free; there are probably not so many choices where to put the camera. It's a very clear link between the single camera position and the general concept of the movie. This is something which I am always looking for, and again, unfortunately, we are not so lucky always. Very often, especially with first time director, problems [arise]. They are still in the process of discovering their own attitude towards the art -- their way of seeing the world. It's sometimes a painful process for everybody during the movie. My dream of making a movie is to have enough time to establish all these things much earlier. When we start movies today, the pleasure of the money is so enormous [and everything is] done fast, fast, fast. There is no time to discuss, or have an argument, or try to discover something new."

INTERESTING QUOTE:
"Here in America you do have a democratic process of the many, but it's too industrial, too impersonal. You know, because the producer is asking for seven different people to write the amendments to the script. Now the one who decides which amendment is the best for us, I don't know if he is the one who should do it. I am afraid that very often in the process of rewriting, the script is losing the personality of the creator. The pressure of the money...it's a business. For me, a movie is much more art. It's a way to take something new; it is much closer to literature than entertainment."

ONE MORE:
K: "Do you plan on working on European productions as well as American productions, now?"

SI: "As a matter of fact, I don't want to stay here. I'm going to stay in Poland as long as I wish to do [films]. I like very much the way films in Europe are made -- it's much more family-like, because there is no money and crews are very small.... And for me, the philosophy of my life is very simple: I am going to do films all my life, and my life is only once. Here, the industrial way of doing movies has a lot of advantages. I am getting [more] money...and I wouldn't get such a possibility in Europe.... But what's lacking is a more family-like situation -- the possibility of inviting your crew to a restaurant and having a dinner with everybody. Here, when you finish a movie, you know [some of] the people by name, but it's impossible to [get to] know 250 people. You come to work . . . and you sense that you are a small piece of the mechanism. In Europe it's a different story. Which I like. I'm used to it.... [But I do] recognize the independent productions here are opening new ways of doing movies."


Full Interview from 1998

Gattaca


King Arthur


Black Hawk Down


Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Meet the Robinsons ! ! !

Don't be a goob! Go see Meet the Robinsons! It's a really fun movie. A thousand times better than Chicken Little! Check out this amazing design by Joe Moshier! Definitely my favorite character in the movie! I love baseball!


Here's some screenshots and here's the trailer!

And please!...no spoilers in the comments section! Everyone has to see it first! Go see it this weekend! Support your industry! And you should try it 3-D if possible! It's very delightful!

Ketcham Scans

Hank Ketcham's "I Wanna Go Home"

Kurosawa Speech 1990

Lucas and Spielberg present Kurosawa the lifetime achievement award back in 1990. Pretty neat. Goofy Spielberg hair. HA!
WATCH the clip!

Walt in Storybook Land

Awesome photo. More about this pic,HERE

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 52

Willy Wonka.

My number two movie of all time! Seriously, this is another movie I wish I had made. This is the ending of the movie. Wonka just finished yelling at the boy and his Grandpa for breaking the contract they signed...
"YOU LOSE! YOU GET NOTHING!"

Charlie returns the precious and valuable candy Wonka gave him and turns to leave. Wonka is proud of him, that he resisted the temptation to sell it to Mr. Slugworth and make a fortune for him and his family. Wonka tells him he won, he is giving him not only a lifetime supply of chocolate but the whole factory for him...and his family. Charlie hugs him.

I can't stop there...the montage in the beginning of the movie would always make my mouth water! Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!

This shot, to me, represents the type of humor in the movie. Often subtle and strange...very exaggerated and ludicrous (Augustus's father eating the microphone, a woman uncertain about trading her box of wonkabars for her husband's ransom, an artificial intelligence machine driving its inventor crazy! "What would a machine do with a lifetime supply of chocolate?")

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 51

Sense and Sensibility.

My favorite Alan Rickman role (though close behind are Die Hard, Robin Hood, and Galaxy Quest;). This is the scene where he's rescued Marianne Dashwood out of the rain after being lost and brings her back. Her family takes her away and he is left as an unsung hero. When Marianne finally says thank you to him after she has recovered...it feels very sweet and satisfying. He has cared and done so much for her, and been so generous to everyone and yet has had some of the hardest burdens and been walked over the whole time. This shot, to me, represents all of that and is very nicely done; it zooms in with the others running towards him and when they run away so does the camera, zooming out again. You "feel" it, he is alone, left alone again, no thank you's.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 50

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

A Capra fan should watch more Capra movies than just It's a Wonderul Life, right? Well, I was surprised at how distinct his filmmaking and storytelling style was, from the shots of newspaper headlines (like many b+w films) to the overuse of the same cast of character actors (like P. T. Anderson). Capra had some habits that commonly bug movie watchers, but it can also challenge a director and actor to create performances that are distinct from one another.
I chose this shot because it was a scene that encapsulated the movie to me. Jefferson Smtih and his secretary, Ms. Saunders, are going to write a bill and stay up all night if that's what it takes! He has great energy and passion, but is also so obsessed with individual people that he can't stop asking Clarissa questions about herself. She falls for him.

This shot also shows his nervousness, reading his bill before the Senate. That boy looking up at his hero, as the bill pronounces a plan for a boys' camp to be built on a controversial piece of land...see the movie.

The grand finale, famous scene of the movie. A memorable acting performance by the great, Jimmy Stewart.


For fun, Wikipedia had this info to share about the movie:
"When it was first released, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was attacked by the Washington press, and politicians in the U. S. Congress, as anti-American and pro-Communist for its portrayal of corruption in the American government.
The film was banned in Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Falangist Spain. According to Capra, the film was also dubbed in certain European countries to alter the message of the film so it conformed with official ideology.
When a ban on American films was imposed in German-occupied France in 1942, some theaters chose to show Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as the last movie before the ban went into effect. One theater owner in Paris reportedly screened the film nonstop for thirty days after the ban."

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 49

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Having watched it a thousand times growing up, this is my favorite of the Indy movies. Some may bark at me for picking this one over Raiders and Temple of Doom, but I love it for this relationship alone. This particular moment is my favorite, from the broken vase on his head, to the motorcycle chase, to pidgeon's flying into a plane's propeller's.

But to be honest, this was the only thing I remember as a kid seeing it in the theater, sitting through the credits, watching them ride off into the sunset. I was seven years old. I think it's one of my earliest movie theater memories. Thanks mom and dad for taking me to the movies...


P.S. This is post #400! Wow! or Uau!

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 48

Forrest Gump.

So, in a movie full of cram-jam-great-classic moments...this acting performance is set apart, stands out, and breaks the heart. I remember having very mixed feelings about Jenny. You are happy because Forrest is happy to see Jenny again. He runs over to her house, they are talking, and then all of a sudden a woman knocks and we discover Jenny has a son. Hmm...Forrest is very sweet and innocent the whole time, asking what his name is, upon learning it, "He's got a daddy named Forrest too?" We laugh, which to me is a wonderful secret to opening up an audiences heart to "feel". You laugh, and welcome your heart to feelings, which makes the next moment much more powerful! "You're his daddy Forrest." There are some amazing actors out there that can give story points, allow audiences into their thoughts, and be crystal clear through very subtle performances. Hanks uses very little, but you feel it. Nora Ephron commented on this in her commentary for Youve Got Mail, about how Hanks can sell an idea with so little! Just a look! Just a small gesture, a gaze, a nod, a crick of a smile...and it's all very CLEAR. That's how valuable good acting can be and it peeves me when director's don't take advantage of it because they don't trust an actor/animator to pull it off...they're missing out on magic.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 47

Empire Strikes Back.

This is my favorite Star Wars movie. The ending is fantastic! Han being frozen in carbonite! Luke losing his hand! The milennium Falcon in asteroid fields, Boba Fett! Yoda! Leia feeling the force during their escape! The battle of Hoth! Obi-Wan returns! Like I said, FANTASTIC! Han and Leia's romance is very funny and comical at times, and perhaps that's why this moment is so painful, it's very serious and they kiss, "I love you." "I know."

favorite Cinema Moments: Part 46

Castaway.

Wilson. I liked Wilson. The Hanks/Wilson relationship was a big inspiration for my last film. I really felt this scene below...

...when he loses Wilson. Tom Hanks endowed that volleyball with life, and that to me is magical. The minimal music that does exist in the film is really beautiiful. Randy Thom's sound design is amazing. Didn't care much for the ending, but it didn't bother me enough to make me not like the movie. I also don't care much for Helen Hunt's acting.
While I'm on the movie, I can't seem to imagine how they shot this scene...

...it's so rad. The whole plane crash is very intense. But how did they get Hanks to be completely horizontal? He comes bursting out of the bathroom and he's hanging on for dearlife! The shot is pretty long, he eventually falls to the floor. But what gets me the most is how Hanks is acting through so many stunts and so much under water!

This scene, below, always makes me cringe. It took a long time before I could watch it a second time. I would always skip to the next scene. I'm pathetic, right? Well, that's why I'm not a dentist/surgeon.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 45

Babe.

This is a hit-or-miss movie for many people as well. I enjoy watching it. I don't mind the episodic children's book feeling of the movie. Even though it's very kid-friendly, I think it's very well done. Of course the effects get dated over time, but it doesn't ruin the charm for me.
This is the moment where Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell) actually sings and dances to get the sick pig, Babe, to start eating again. I recently found out that the song is actually a classical piece from the Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns who's work is also used in Days of Heaven, Visions of Light, and Fantasia 2000. Good stuff.

Monet Quote

"I am completely absorbed by my work. These landscapes of water and reflections have become an obsession. They are beyond the strength of an old man, and yet I am determined to set down what I feel. I have destroyed some...I have begun others over again...and I hope that something will come of so much effort." - CLAUDE MONET

The great painter. I actually have to admit Monet was one of those cases where I didn't like his work until I knew more about it and his techniques and goals. Funny guy...here is a pic of him and his wife below.


This blue and white one below is a study.

I love the fact that he'd do paintings throughout the day, changing from canvas to canvas as the light changed. He'll have several paintings of the same subject, with differently lighting, the whole mood of the pieces changes! It really was an obsession. What a fun journey though.

The two below I just posted because they don't seem like typical Monet paintings, for one they aren't landscapes ;)

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 44

Elf.

So what's everyone's favorite Will Ferrell movie? Mine's definitely Elf. This was what first came to my mind. Buddy has fallen asleep inside of a Gimble's store display where the next morning his dad embarrassingly sees him and tries to ignore.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 43

Overboard.



"Well he seems to like you and he's a nice guy." I had to include these three shots. I think it's the funniest segment in the movie, when Dean comes to pick Annie/Joanna at the asylum. He has the worst lies, "Annie...Gool-a-hee", "You gotta know, you were in the NAVY!", "In Goober, Idaho!" And when she yells at the guy, "eat your checkers!" Finally she confirms his claim that she has a birthmark on her bum and he says, "Come to daddy." The asylum guys are so happy to get rid of her, they high-five.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 42

Rocky IV.

It's the best one. I love it. I wish it were my movie, that I had made it. It has like four or five freeze frames in it, like 7 or 8 music montages, and loads of recycled footage, and yet...it rocks! Ivan Drago is an amazing villain and like they say, the bigger the villain, the bigger the hero. It's total cheese. It's fantastic and I wish I had made it.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 41

The Sound of Music.

"I'm not finished yet!" "Oh, yes you are, captain!...fraulein."
Yes, it's a very girlie movie, BUT...it does have some great moments. Too bad it's written off for it's cheesier moments when many of the scenes wonderful drama, romance, and humor. The child actors aren't the best around, but they can sing. Most of the scenes with Christopher Plummer are well performed. Again, this is a fun movie I grew up watching, so it does stand out for me. For those who haven't seen it, it has a great Nazis vs. Nuns finale!!!

Here's some puppets from the movie:

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 40

Empire of the Sun.

I chose two shots. One is when the boy, Jim, is in his ecstasy seeing a B-51, Cadillac of the Sky, his greatest fantasy. Then, moments later, he is experiencing his worst dream, "I can't remember what my parents look like." It's such a sad moment. High high and low low, right next to each-other.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 39

Sandlot.

Man, I'm laughing right now. This scene is so funny and well done. "Yeah, yeah, he looks pretty crappy." The little boy jumped into the deep end and the lifeguard jumps in to save him. The fake suspense and drama, released by that funny smile. And then the moment they realize somethings up, he holds her head and kisses her, and the music comes in, "This magic moment." "And he kissed her long...and good." What a classic scene.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 38

Pride of the Yankees.


Seems like a lesser known movie, but in my opinion one of the best baseball movies ever made. It's the Lou Gehrig story. It also stars THE Babe Ruth! It's a fun movie. These two images are comically similar. The first, young Lou sits on his mothers lap as she tells him he has to grow up and be a successful engineer like his Uncle Otto. He clearly wants to play ball. The second is when he has made it to the big leagues and he has to explain it to his upset mother.

This scene is when Lou's father on the left wants to kill the delivery boy on the right for bringing a cake with a right-handed baseball player. Lou is a lefty! (And so am I) Not easy living in a right-handed world ;)

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 37

The Natural.

I love baseball. I showed this film to my wife for the first time and she thought it was cheese-ball. I grew up watching it and I think that magical element was fun for a kid to watch. Definitely the only movie I can think of with Glenn Close looking more pretty than handsome. Click her name to see what remake she'll supposedly star in soon. Also, for those who didn't know yet, this is her too in Hook:


Just as a footnote, growing up, I watched it on a VHS tape. It was recorded from HBO or something, and the movie recorded right after it was "Sixteen Candles." It was fun watching those movies over and over again, back-to-back. There was also some other tapes like:
"9-to-5" and "The Buddy System"
"Adventures in Babysitting" and "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitters Dead"
"Wargames" and "Max Dugan's Return"
"Bloodsport and "Kickboxer"
Funny, the things a person remembers.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 36

Jungle Book.

I like how the song ends with Baloo losing his disguise. It's my favorite song in the movie, though they are all great. I especially like when King Louie is whistling and starts fighting with the other little monkey. Really fun to watch and the animation on Louie is so extremely well done!

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 35

Zoolander.

This sequence makes me laugh. These guys are terribly funny. Following this moment is the first and ONLY "Gasoline fight" I've ever seen. Haha.

Frank Reynolds: Part 2

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 34

Tootsie.

"Is that my left or your left?" Haha. Some of the funniest moments in the movie happen on the set of this hospital soap opera. Michael Dorsey plays Dorothy Michaels in Tootsie. There's been so many comedies made with men dressing in drag. I love Bill Murray's line at the end of the movie too, "That is one nutty hospital."

Frank Reynolds: Part 1

I xeroxed these out of an old CalArts library book, about six years ago. I just came across it again and it reminded me of gesture drawing class. His figures are so animated and well drawn. I don't quite understand a lot of the story and humor in most of the pieces, but I certainly know where to look. Some wonderful expressions and poses.

"Dr. Jones?" "Yes."

Harrison's funny face. Haha.

More CalArts Lectures!

Man, with all of the stuff going on lately I was a lame-o and missed some amazing lectures!!! So upset. Anyhow, Mr. Mario wrote down some great notes! Check em out! You may have to scroll down a bit, but you'll find em. Lectures by Pete Doctor, Angus MacLane, and Mark Henn!

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 33

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

So I think in my head, what image sticks out to me...and Peter Jackson is successful in getting these first moments to stick in my head for what will be a very long and dark journey for the characters throughout the trilogy. It's a very cozy and relaxing moment, time at a stand still, the opposite of anxiety of being chased for the next 9 hours!

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 32

As Good As It Gets.

"Well...I'm glad we did this."
Greg Kinnear is a great actor. He pulled of this role so naturally, the poses, gestures, phrasing, expressions, really solid work. This moment with Melvin and Simon is a good examples of giving time and allowing for two personalities to bounce off of eachother. They sit and commiserate and just like Melvin, insensitive and odd, he doesn't end their conversation with any closure, gets up and leaves. "Well...I'm glad we did this."

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 31

Wargames.

I grew up watching this movie along with the other great 80's movies, Tootsie, Max Dugan Returns, Sixteen Candles...I loved Wargames because Broderick looked like my older brother and I loved the videogames! The scene at the end is actually my favorite scene though, but I don't have this movie on DVD, so this was from the trailer. My favorite scene is the Tic-Tac-Toe and all of the screens going ballistic. If you haven't seen it, see it.

"What you put into it..."

Another great Conrad Hall INTERVIEW. It was done after Road to Perdition, but he elaborates on his process and other films as well. Check it out when you feel like reading something...

Here's a quick quote from it:
"It's such a gratifying thing to be able to tell a story well. It's about human communication; it's about what the audience feels about the story. What you put into it, the audience has to be able to take out and you've got to be able to see that they take it out in order for it to be satisfying for you." - Conrad L. Hall

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 30

Mr. Mom

Another John Hughes comedy. This is a movie I could put on at almost any given moment and puts me in a better mood. Really funny writing, fun music, and the carismatic Michael Keaton and Teri Garr. So many good moments, I chose this gag, when he's at the supermarket, fubbles through every item on the list, and then leaves his children in the shopping cart alone to sneak purchase a box of kotex for his wife. Hilarious.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 29

Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

By request, this shot of Roy Neary in the living room with his giant home-breaking sculpture on the phone missing the important connection just....right...THERE...on the television. Keeps you staring, can't look away. Exciting stuff.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 28

Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

One of my favorite comedies ever. I wanted to be Ferris Bueller. It irks me when someone has never heard ofJohn Hughes. He's an amazing writer and can write teenagers so well. Ferris' intro is great one, faking out his parents to ditch school while his sister stands by frustrated with her parents gullibility. He then goes on a great rant! This particular moment when captions appear is great and sets the stage for a fun and unpredictable movie.

I thought this poster was kinda cool. Can't remember how I found it.



"I quote John Lennon, 'I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me.' Good point there. After all, he was the walrus. I could be the walrus. I'd still have to bum rides off of people."

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 27

Superman

Reversing the rotation of the Earth. Sweetness.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 26

Searching for Bobby Fisher.

This is when Josh offers his opponent a draw. It made for a nice finale and brings home Josh's good nature before he destroys the boy. The movie is so beautifully shot (Conrad Hall). It was between this moment and the moment the teacher knocks all of the pieces on to the ground.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 25

Nightmare Before Christmas

We sit watching this movie for a while, mostly black and white, and when we arrive in this "new" place called Christmas Town, we feel just as excited as Jack does! What's this??? I'm always amazed at how well the music works in this film.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 24

Prince of Egypt

I was really excited for this movie to come out. It's okay if you don't remember this scene. Moses returns the ring to Pharaoh and for some reason this scene caught me off guard. I was waiting for it to cut away to something else, but it lingered on Pharaoh while he thought, and thought, and thought. The animation was so solid I couldn't believe it.

AFI Kaminski Interview

A great video interview with Janusz Kaminski. It has some really great statements about cinematograpy.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 23

Iron Giant.

This scene has such great dynamics shot to shot that this moment, when the Giant says, "Superman," you are hurting and emotional when the explosion comes. Awesome acting and storytelling.

I can't help but put one more shot here. Such a nice feeling of scale.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 22

Back to the Future.

There are a few films I can think of that keep my interests throughout the whole thing EVERY time I watch it. For me this movie, especially this moment after George confronts a guy cutting into his dance, works every time.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 21

Robin Hood.

I love this intro and the Rooster. I can't believe how well this guy is designed AND animated.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 20

Monster's Inc.

The scene where Sulley opens Boo's door again at the end. I cried *period*

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 19

Seabiscuit

I know, I know, it's Tobey Maguire, say what you want, but this moment, when he wins his first race, works in many ways. I felt the same relief that the characters felt when all of their work and sacrifice finally pays off and he wins the race. I liked it a lot and for a long time I listened to that Moby song pretty regularly ;) Seabiscuit was a pretty solid movie.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 18

Together.

Another film I wish more people would see. One of my favorite father-son movies. The climax of this film is a tear-jerker...very special.
UPDATE: Directed byKaige Chen, who also did 'Farewell My Concubine,' and 'Emperor and the Assassin.' The Chinese title, "He ni zai yi qi".

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 17

Seven Samurai

This is one of my top five films of all time. I've drawn this flag on many a cubicle walls and school papers.

My favorite scene from the film, I felt like the youngest samurai, just geeking out over this guys skill!

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 16

Toy Story.

This scene affected me. This particular image resonates the most for me from this movie, as sad as it is. I think it's because, without much movement (a slow zoom out) and just the music, you can't look away. We know what he is feeling.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 15

The Princess Bride

When I think of the humor of this film, this moment defines it. Inigo lets his opponent, Westley, look at and handle his sword before they duel. So silly. Silly in the best way possible. Gotta love it.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 14

Its a Wonderful Life!

So yeah, my number one movie. This screenshot is so haunting. His own mother doesn't know he is! This is what insanity looks like! Probably the most intense shot of the whole film! Well used. There are so many other scenes that I love, but sometimes you have to choose, so...

...okay, here are others shots I loved.

This film is so different. The film has very corky moments, this one, where the film freezes and the narrators talk, sets you up for the spontaneous interruptions during the rest of the film. Interesting way of telling a story, getting across exposition, and giving the audience a omniscient perspective, without taking you out of the story.

Notice the gloss folks? His rage and passion in this scene are really something. Jimmy Stewart's greatest romance scene.

A universal moment of despair. That feeling that you have no control over your life and begging for help to come.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 13

The Incredibles.

We saw this at a local theater with just Calartians before it had come out. The whole time I was enthralled. It was the best thing I'd ever seen. The most energetic movie experience to date. When this moment occurred I cheered and couldn't stay in my seat, like I was a 3-yr-old or something! Still my favorite animated movie...EVER!

More Conrad Hall

"Filmmaking is not so tough," Hall says. "It's all about problem-solving. It's not about standing on your head and doing tricks." - Conrad L. hall

Another quote from an article:
"A climactic scene in Road to Perdition had Hall staging a nighttime shoot-out on a deserted street during a torrential downpour. The scene unfolds silently without dialogue. Hall's images alone tell the story. He's created something brutally dramatic. The shoot-out turns out to be the centerpiece of the movie. For Hall, the dramatic pay-off was the result of long, hard work. He leans back and talks freely about the scene. He explains how he shot it and kept the lighting dark. He didn't want it to be exceptionally violent, he says.

'Sam Mendes knows that I dislike violence. In fact, Mendes told me, 'Before you say no to this project, I want you to know that there is no gratuitous violence in the film.'"(2002)

Another ARTICLEabout working long hours, very informative with quotes from other DP's.

One more quote:
“I always liked doing black and white because it gives your imagination more of a sense to go out and figure it out,” Hall says. “It's like reading a book. You don't get the ocean painted blue, you get it painted with words. When you look at it all highlighted in black and white, you know it's blue! You take color out of it. So in case the color is different, it doesn't bother you. It doesn't take away from the story of the human drama that's going on. You get better focus on the characters. Without going along and suddenly the ocean isn't the color you imagine or the sky's different and you say 'Oh, what is this?'”

On the other hand, when Hall did color he really started breaking the rules. For Cool Hand Luke, he shot straight into the sun in order to show the heat taking its toll on the chain gang. In the old studio days, any time a lens would flare like that the shot would have to be redone without question. But in Luke, a flare knocks Harry Dean Stanton out cold. “A rule is to be used appropriately,” Hall says. “If you find something about that rule that you can change, make it new and interesting, do it. Thing about it is, in film, 'the only rule is' doesn't work. If it works for the film, hey, it's the thing to do. It's a language. I guess there are rules in language, aren't there? But they're broken by slang. You break them and you can make it what you want it to be.” (1999)

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 12

Jurassic Park.

Real Dinosaurs??? Too real. Movie magic. Gave me nightmares, *period*

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 11

Hook. HOOK! Give us the HOOK!

"After all, what would the world be like without Captain Hook?"
Come on, look at that face, evil Capt. Hook. Best part of the movie.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 10

Toy Story 2.

With this film it was kind of hard for me to think of a favorite for some reason. I went for this shot because I can still remember sitting in the theater watching it and thinking to myself, "Amazing. Look how far they've come. He's real. It looks amazing. This moment would be hard to do in hand-drawn animation."

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 9

Jaws.

This one's easy right? No? Well, this is my favorite shot/moment of the film. Quint is by far my favorite character of the film. His scenes scream uniqueness and authenticity from intro to finale.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 8

Finding Nemo.

The first movie I watched when I got back from Brazil for 2 years was Finding Nemo. I remember watching the first scene, about to cry from the get go, and thinking, "Maybe I'm not ready for this." I couldn't believe how well told the story was. Great opening.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 7

Howl's Moving Castle

The film was made by an old man, but with the imagination of a child. It was incredible to see such an lush fanciful world created with sophisticated artistry. Maybe it was right for the time I saw it because it became my favorite of Miyazaki's.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 6

Beetlejuice.

Believe it or not, this one's my favorite of Tim Burton's films. I love that they live such normal lives after they are dead. That's what I look forward to after dying...building models and living normal.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 5

E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial

I really liked this moment for some reason. Dramatic irony, everyone goes, WAIT! Turn around! Look! Don't leave! He's alive! That's the power of storytelling when you can get the audience so involved they yell out! Awesome reveal. Try thinking of a better one, come on, try it!

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 4

Father and Daughter

What Michael Dudok Dewitt does is what I want to do one day...and make amazing short films. This one is so powerful and beautiful to look at. Every frame could be...framed...and put on a wall. His other short, 'the monk and the fish' is amazing too.

CalArts 1976

Look at this amazing picture! Hilarious!

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 3

These aren't in any particular order.

A Bug's Life



I think my favorite character from the movie is Hopper. I loved all of his scenes. This reminds me of the "Kubrick" look, head down, eyes looking up at you, c-r-e-e-p-y. Awesome moment.

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 2

Life is Beautiful

This movies has so many great sequences in it, but it wasn't difficult to pick my favorite moment. This chapter on the DVD is appropriately entitled, "When Two Become Three" and was my favorite storytelling moment. I hadn't and haven't seen a love scene more tastefully done. They walk into the garden together, and the seasons change, you hear the dad yelling for the son, who comes out of the garden with is little tank.

I wonder how his next movie will be, hopefully not TOO similar!

Favorite Cinema Moments: Part 1

Need I explain? Nothing too elaborate, just a few sentences. Perhaps you think it's a waste of time, well...it actually doesn't take a long time, it's fairly simply, and since I don't play video games regularly you can count this as my waste of time. Most of thoee are taken from my DVD collection.

While putting these together I started to realize how powerful one image can have on an audiences' mind for a long period of time. I'd ask others, "What do you think of, what scene, what image?" when I mentioned a movie and they'd always have SOMETHING in their mind, usually very specific. I think it's important to know what imagery you are putting into peoples' imaginations, to be responsible for the good and bad.

Here's a quote I really liked. Though it relates to books, movies can easily be substituted:
"A great man was once asked which one of all the books he had read had most affected his life. His response was that he could no more remember the books he had read than he could remember the meals he had eaten, but they had made him. All of us are products of the elements to which we are exposed. We can give direction to those elements and thereby improve the result. Make every effort to enrich your environment with the reading of good books." (Gordon B. Hinckley "Stand a Little Taller" p.40)

So here's my first of MANY:

"Lawrence of Arabia"



Saw it in the theater, 70mm!!! Jaw droppingly beautiful. I love this scene, the audience squints, adjusts their glasses, jaw drops, "What's wrong? What is it? Is there something there? What are they looking at? Oh, I think I see it? Wha?" The close-ups that follow seem to be more powerful perhaps because of this wide and lengthy shot. Great filmmaking.

Visions of Light

I finally got myself a copy of this amazing documentary. If you haven't seen it, it's very educational and has some amazing imagery. It's basically a history of cinematography as told by the great cinematographers themselves, put together by AFI.

"I don't think that movies should be made because of the dialogue. I think it should have a good story, I think the important thing has to be how its told visually. Dialogue should be like music in the film." - Vilmos Zsigmond

Spielberg and Rockwell

I was watching Empire of the Sun again, and it finally hit me! Pretty neat, huh? Jim actually has the Rockwell picture later on in the film that he carries around with him.



This is my favorite Spielberg film, but my wife couldn't take the slower pacing. She couldn't even tell that the boy was the new Batman!

IG Films

My buddy Issac was recently in Kenya filming a documentary. He shot some wonderful footage, check it out! And another of the kids playing soccer!

Baxter Interview And LINKING!!!

There's a really great James Baxter interview on Mario Furmanczyk's site! Go to his journal on his site animated buzz.

YES ! ! ! I just learned how to make a link from words! Sweetness! Check it out!

here it is again! AndAGAIN!

Carl Heinrich Bloch

Maybe you've never heard of him, well...he's amazing. Look him up.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Ernest Howard Shepard: Part 4

Bertie's Escapade 1949:

Once Upon a Time in the West

Here's are few screen shots from the movie. It had some good moments, overall it was kinda long.

It was impressed by this set, these two stills are from the same cut, beautiful for reference.

Of course the extreme close-ups!





So Funny Huh???

Ernest Howard Shepard: Part 3

Ben and Brock, a small book that he both wrote and illustrated.

Lectures

We've had some AMAZING lectures this past semester at CalArts and a lot of thoughts ran through my head...particularly the usefulness of a lecture. Some lectures are long, short, provide loads of info, not much info, very interactive, or speeches. The students can come out either energized and ready to work, or brain fried and in need of sleep or diversion. Either way, it's nice to feel the industry reaching out to students and have lectures. There are so many talented professionals with loads of advice we never get to hear.

The "Non-prepared speaker" often comes with very little to share and more often than not the students are overly-anxious to listen and absorb. The speaker relies on the energy of the students, who, in a large capacity setting, are too shy to ask advice on their selfish petty need. It can blow up in their face if he doesn't make the studentss relaxed and comfortable to ask. Some speakers are great, or even better, when improvising material to speak on, while others...stink at it. For me, preparation always goes a lot farther because few people can come up with really great questions on the spot.

The best combination might be a humble student (opposite of a know-it-all attitude) and a good humble speaker. Intimate settings are great too, like 15 students or so. You can bet the questions will come a lot quicker that way. The situation can turn bad if the speaker goes overboard though. It's tough to gauge, considering every student will come with different expectations (so many variations of year levels too).

Anyways, the drawing above was just some thoughts I wanted to get off my chest. I often listen to a lot of speakers every week and some of them know how to put across information without frying your brain and boring you to death, while others get you excited and communicate to a broad audience of people. You know the worst is a presenter who is super nervous, very awkward to watch, if he looks and acts uncomfortable, we feel uncomfortable watching or listening to them. I guess you can apply that to pitching as well. Be confident.

Ernest Howard Shepard: Part 2

So here are some more rare pieces from other books he illustrated besides Pooh.

The above and the following are from "At the Back of the Northwind." They kind of remind me of Miyazaki's watercolors.





The following site has a bibliography of pooh and loads of non-pooh books he illustrated:
http://www.library.pitt.edu/libraries/is/enroom/illustrators/shepard.htm
I'll post more soon!

Amazing Stories

Brad Bird starring in the "Main Attraction" episode of Amazing Stories. He apparently worte the screenplay for this episode and played as a scientist. Silly, huh?

They do have SOMETHING in common.

Here's a funny pic I found in an old advertising book.

Where Wild Things Are

I recently saw this over the summer. It's a hard clip to find. Someone found it on youtube of course, so here it is! Glen Keanage~

Ernest Howard Shepard Scans

Here ya go. I got this old Pooh book from a library book sale for 50 cents! Printed 1965.

I mean come on! Aren't these beautiful??? Sheesh. I will post more of his stuff as I find it. I can't seem to find too much of his work besides Pooh. Here's a link to some of his old political cartoons:

http://opal.kent.ac.uk/cartoonx-cgi/ccc.py?mode=summary&search=ernest+shepard

Did you know the Pooh stories were published back in October 14, 1926?

Leyendecker Scans

My mother-in-law had this cook book sitting on her shelf. She was pretty surprised when I asked if I could borrow it. Here are some scans of J.C. Leyendecker's work (a little late for thanksgiving themes, but...)

Kramer vs Kramer: part two

One last thing, a lot of times the pacing/editing of many of the scenes can create emphasis and great emotion.

The son, Billy, is testing his father, much like the situation in Nemo when he touches the boat. The father and son go back and forth, back and forth.

Animator D. Sweetland gave an example of how they devised the moment when sulley scares mr. waternoose, you set up a rhythm and then break it. That simple. He used the heartbeat as an example, something soothing and consistent, and when the rhythm is broken/stops you can feel it.

Another example of breaking a "sensed" rhythm occurs when his boy falls and cuts his head. The boy is falling, falling, and we could see the distance earlier, and when it takes longer to hit, it holds our anticipation until finally we think, "maybe it won't happen', and then BAM! he lands and it is startling.

Kramer vs Kramer

A friend recently told me this movie is too depressing for him to watch. Everyone gives such a solid performance though, it really makes for great entertainment to watch this father and son evolve. Here are a few moments from the film, and don't look too closely if you haven't seen it.

This first one is early in the film when Hoffman and his son have their first breakfast together. This setting will serve as a measuring stick on the health of their relationship, slowly evolving. Here we have chaos, LOADS of cutting and everything very close up and claustrophobic. The information is forced down your throat, it cuts on every action. We are able to see both characters hidden expressions. It IS and FEELS like a disaster waiting to happen. I wish you could see the pacing in the editing too, it plays just as big a role as the staging. Like the last shot doesn't give you a cut right away, it holds on his face as he paces and things settle in his head as it does for us.




This second one shows them harmonizing and forming a routine. ONE shot.

The last one is at the end of the movie and it's become a reflective moment as it will be the end of their living together...very sad. The cuts are longer, and things feel calm.

Little Big Man

Here's a scene from Little Big man when Dustin Hoffman meets General Custer that has some interesting status angles.

The first one has a big character with a small character, from early on in the film, their first encounter.

The second has the same two characters but the movie has progressed and their circumstances have changed. Notice how they are staged differently and how Custer seems to have lost power over Hoffman.

NACHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

This movie makes me laugh, but the commentary...is a disaster. What a bore, bunch of people rambling, not much information. Anyways, it does have a fun style and look.

Charles Addams Scans

Here's a few more of Addams stuff I scanned a while back.

T.S. Sullivant

Black Panther Party

I don't have a lot of time to explain in depth, and actually I don't need to. As far as EMPHASIS, you can read the script, find the most important moment of the scene and give it emphasis/punctuation, and everything else can still be entertaining but should feel less important, or at least not as powerful. It's hard to explain.

Look at the following boards, WHAT IS THE BIGGEST MOMENT/SHOT? Where is the emphasis? What is this scene about?

Don't say Bambi in Brazil.

I found this beautiful children's book in a "sebo" in Navegantes, Brazil. Anyone who knows the artist or has seen this in the US, let me know. The inside cover doesn't have the same info english books have (i.e. copyright, date, author, etc.)

Family Movies

Anyone seen 'Click"? The idea is "man takes his life for granted, has it taken away, learns his lessons, it's given back." It's the same as It's a Wonderful Life, Family Man, Mr. Destiny, and so on. The Majestic, Liar Liar, and Groundhog Day work in different ways, but same premise, "man is a jerk, experiences a different life, then doesn't want to go back to being a jerk."

On another note,
Does any one else feel like the family movie genre isn't taken seriously by filmmakers? As though only films with so called "sophisticated" content can make you a respectable director? Isn't it rare to see a movie that isn't rated R nominated for an Academy Award? Why is that?

"Sometimes I think you have to march right in and demand your rights, even if you don't know what your rights are, or who the person is you're talking to. Then, on the way out, slam the door." - Jack Handey

Searching for Progress

First, Go visit Ted Mathot's blog (http://currentflavor.blogspot.com/2006/03/storyboard-study-shot-progression.html)and read his post about progression. And by the way, these posts are to keep me thinking about continuity and to not forget the tools of storytelling. Analysis and application is where I learn the most.

So here are two different scenes from different films, one with progression and one without.

This is a simple dialogue scene with Depp and the kid. Why they chose to chop it up so much is beyond me. Here are the shots in order.

It's not an action scene, just a conversation. The character's aren't moving a lot. No they're not walking through a town or an event of any type. They sit...they talk. Not much progression in the writing, so why the cuts? Where is the progression in this scene? Don't get me wrong, most normal people will not be bothered by this sort of thing, but they could have streamlined it. Mandrews would say, "Can it be done in fewer shots? Fewer setups?" Animation, like live-action, has additional costs and work to create new shots. Sure it's CG but every shot has to be lit and composed well. Respect it like you would in live-action. This scene has 6 setups, 13 cuts. It could've been done in one. The nit picky post before this commented on char.'s flopping sides, and this scene does the same. In the end though, the emotion of this film was really powerful to me and many others. I enjoy the movie regardless which is something I envy about live-action and aspire to in animation.

This scene below, from Searching for Bobby Fisher, has a different dynamic. There IS a progression which is influenced by the drama of the scene. The boy and his mentor are both trying to get what they want. The DP Conrad Hall shows this progression by cutting closer until it's like a literal chess match. The boy pauses and demands a certificate, you can see this moment visually when they pull back out. It's still tense until the mom comes in and the tension breaks for us.


The scene has about 10 or 11 setups. But they served a purpose. Or in other words, they make it count. Don't do extra shots to make a boring scene seem more interesting. Let the character performance help you with the structure of the scene. Acting can carry so much. Although if it's not it can throw the pacing off too.
I also wanted to point out the shot before and after the close-up on the certificate are slightly zooming in, and you definitely feel the effects of it in a dramatic way because everything was held before it. Again, what separates one story artist from the rest is how he gives emphasis in a scene. The big moments should definitely be felt, but not necessarily noticed, like in a Bruckheimer flick (cue the music).

Finding Something to Like

So I watched Finding Neverland this summer and took some screengrabs. To start off, here are a few shots I thought were interesting.




Then there's these two sequential shots where the character's flop sides.


Is it just me or does that feel weird? Is this any better?

Anyhow, some more screen grabs later.

Thelwell Scans

Please don't forget old Thelwell. Amazingly the guy has like 32 books! Drawing Ponies was great because he broke down how he draws horses, AND how he goes about creating a cartoon drawing. It's interesting to read how much he emphasizes research, keeping sketchbooks, and having fun while you draw. Here are a few of the pages (but the whole thing is great):







For more info and a bibliography, go to www.thelwell.org.uk/index.html

And don't worry, I'll most likely post more of his work some day.

Searle scans

Here are some of my favorites of the scans. They're from various books.

No Internet

Lately I've been busy and haven't had internet access, but I guess that's okay. Hope everyone is well. I'll post once it's back up and running. Could be tomorrow, could be next week. We'll see. Until then:

Saturday December 2, 2000

"In England, they think I'm dead," says Ronald Searle.

In Ronald Searle In Perspective, his 1985 collection of his own favourite work, he said he had no idea where his love of illustration came from: "Quite suddenly I began to draw. I had been scribbling for ever. Now it took shape and I became, first fascinated, then obsessed, with what it was possible to do with pen and pencil. No one paid much attention to this, nor to the fact that the drawings were immediately grotesque. This was assumed to be one of the penalties for being 'cack-handed', local dialect for mocking a left-hander, which is what I am."

When war broke out, Searle enlisted immediately, a perfectly logical decision in the anti-fascist ferment of late-30s Cambridge. "Everyone had a very positive political attitude," he recalls. "Everything was very black and white. You were anti-Mussolini; you were anti-fascist. When Chamberlain came back waving his piece of paper saying 'peace in our time' everyone started digging trenches like mad. No one believed it for one second."

"I thought it was important to record what was going on, even if the drawings were only found later," he says. "To know what it was like to have been cut off in the jungle thousands of miles from anywhere." He bartered with other prisoners to get drawing materials, and risked death to capture the savagery and squalor of camp life. He kept the drawings - 300 survived, though many rotted in the heat of the jungle - under the beds of prisoners suffering from cholera, because the guards were loath to enter their rooms.

"When you are shut up in the jungle, your body is so disgusting that you can only live in your head," he says now. "I remember when we were doing the basic slave labour of carrying stones from one point to another and throwing them over the edge, everyone was chanting nursery rhymes. It was stupid and banal, but it was a way of forgetting what was going on around you. If you had enough imagination to realise what was really happening to you, you'd drop dead immediately. One thing that saved me was a total lack of imagination."

I Need More Sokol ! ! !

I don't know if any of you have felt this way too, but I'm having the hardest time finding more info and artwork from this guy. If anyone has stuff to share let me know. Here is the introduction to his book, "American Natives" and some of his drawings. The intro is written by Steven Allen and he mentions that Sokol was 26 at the time! 26?! Sheesh.


There were some B&W copies of some of these going around. Anyways, the scans from the book I found had nicer grays. Here are some I hadn't seen before.





Here's all of the scans at a glance.

Artist Timeline

Curiosity got the best of me a couple of days ago, but now I'm a WIKI-MASTER! 0000=still alive (Searle, Sendak, etc.) Anyways, there's so many, I just picked a few at random, of course there are many missing. Enjoi.

1386-1466 - donatello
1452-1519 - leonardo da vinci
1471-1528 - albrecht durer
1475-1564 - michelangelo simoni
1483-1520 - raphael
1606-1669 - rembrandt rijn

1832-1883 - gustave dore
1851-1928 - a.b. frost
1853-1911 - howard pyle
1854-1926 - t.s. sullivant
1860-1939 - alphonse mucha
1861-1909 - frederic remington
1867-1944 - charles dana gibson
1867-1934 - winsor mccay
1870-1966 - maxfield parrish
1874-1951 - j.c. leyendecker
1876-1950 - hiroshi yoshida
1881-1973 - pablo picasso
1882-1945 - n.c. wyeth
1894-1978 - norman rockwell
1901-1966 - walt disney
1901-1971 - ub iwerks
1901-2000 - carl barks
1903-2003 - al hirschfeld
1904-1968 - peter arno
1909-1987 - milt kahl
1911-1978 - mary blair
1912-1988 - charles addams
1912-2002 - chuck jones
1915-2002 - bill peet
1916-1995 - carl giles
1920-1988 - charles saxon
1920-0000 - ronald searle
1922-2000 - charles shulz
1923-2004 - norman thelwell
1924-0000 - jack davis
1925-2000 - edward gorey
1928-0000 - maurice sendak
1930-1999 - shel silverstein
1932-0000 - j.j. sempe
1933-0000 - erich sokol
1936-0000 - gerald scarfe
1936-0000 - ralph steadman
1937-0000 - sergio aragones
1957-0000 - john lasseter
1958-0000 - bill watterson
1960-0000 - mike mignola

David Mazzucchelli

Paul Linsley is teaching a Graphic Novels class, and it is a great "story" class. I began filtering through my old comics and I came across this issue of Daredevil.

I've had this for as long as I can remember, but never careed for it, but oddly enough, this time it appealed to me, and I thought, "That's a pretty cool cover. I THINK I'LL SCAN IT!" My friends already find me scan-happy. I couldn't help but look inside and the artwork was really good! I looked the guy up on google and he and Frank Miller won a Jack Kirby award for best single issue of the year, for the issue right before this one! Anways, long story short, this guy is amazing.

Gibson Scans

Some more Charles Dana Gibson. His expressions can be so subtle.

Goodrich Scans

Carter Goodrich, Nutcracker.

Sempe Scans

JJ Sempe

Inspiration Saturday

Tonight's the night! Come to The Martha Baxton Auction tonight, 5-7:30pm in the CalArts Main Gallery ! ! ! (more info at baxton.mrkurtnielsen.com )

Charles Addams

C.F. Payne

Eyvind Earle

T.S. Sullivant

Frederic Remington

Wolf Erlbruch

Gustave Caillebotte

To Kill a Mockingbird

Man, after like three tries in the past year, I finally finished the movie. It blew me away. Really really loved it. If you haven't seen it, GO SEE IT! It's an amazing story and the characters are rich. Atticus Finch, the father, was my favorite. Probably one of the best father roles. Of course, the father in "Together", and "Life is Beautiful" are some other great ones. Hmm...

This scene was really effective, but the whole movie is beautifully shot.


I just finished some Hitchcock movies too. I can't believe I went so long without seeing them! Argh! He's an amazing storyteller, but his endings stink!!! I''m talking about the last second of every movie...something about it. North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much...geez. If someone out there loves these endings, let me know why.

Timothy Mouse

Man! I was wondering if Dumbo was over-rated or not, I hadn't seen it since I was really little, but the movie was great. Only 64 minutes long too. Beautiful animation and full of memorable scenes. There's so much heart in that film, and the design of it.






This one's my favorite of all of 'em!

Miroslav Sasek

This guy blows my mind. Just love his work. This first one, he puts the spectators clear from the artist, nothing gets cluttered, great character and story.




Those coins are "reading like a million bucks."

Jean Jacques Sempe

A little taste of J.J. Sempe.

Top 20 of last 20 yrs

Currentflavor.blogspot.com had a recent posting of his list. I'm going to post mine, but it's a toughy. Here's what he said:

"A few of us were in the story war room the other day and the "AFI's Best 100 Films of All Time" list happened to be on the table. Naturally, for a group of story folks, discussion ensued about the validity of some of the films on that list. Then I proposed that we make our own lists except to limit them to our 20 favorite/best films from the past 20 years (1986-2005). They must be films that we like but also qualify to be on a "best of" list (ie - no guilty pleasure films, "so bad it's good" films, or sentimental favorites). "

I was talking to a buddy of mine and we were trying to figure out what angle to approach this from...and those who know me find me very over analytical. Here's my question,

"What does best mean?" We thought these 3 categories could help: Well-Crafted, Favorites, Importance, and All of the above

Also, every movie is influential to different groups: Creators, Wide Audiences, and All of the above. Does the film permeate throughout culture? Is it referenced alot? Do people use it as a cinematic icon? For example, "In the Name of the Father" was nominated for best picture in 1993 and not "Jurassic Park." Of the two which fits the "best" category?

Some movies are great but rarely revisited. I often rate a movie on whether I would actualy own it or not and I only own movies I feel I'll watch regularly. Movies I'll "live" with are usually uplifting movies. That kind of makes me bias towards a certain movie though.

Well, all this considered, you're probably thinking I have too much time on my hands. I guess you can have your beefs with me in the comments section, but here's my list at one request...no rolling your eyes (this is just mine if you don't like it, make your own):

Top 20 (in order by date):
Empire of the Sun (1987)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Cinema Paradiso (1989)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1990)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Schindler's List (1993)
Searching for Bobby Fisher (1993)
Remains of the Day (1993)
Fugitive (1993)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Forrest Gump (1994)
The Lion king (1994)
Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Braveheart (1995)
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Toy Story (1995)
Life is Beautiful (1997)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Seabiscuit (2003)

Other Favorites and Notables:
Princess Bride (1987)
Akira (1988)
Beetlejuice (1988)
Big (1988)
Batman (1989)
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Sneakers (1992)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Apollo 13 (1995)
Babe (1995)
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Sixth Sense (1999)
Cast Away (2000)
Together, or He ni zai yi qi (2002)
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
The Incredibles (2004)
Oliver Twist (2005)
Cinderella Man (2005)

Also, here are some list I made to pick from (click image to enlarge)

Stage Fright

I have restroom stage fright. It's like dogs who can't eat or go to the bathroom if someone is watching them. So what do you think? Could YOU use this restroom?

Janusz Kaminski

Here! I was working up to it, so here it is. He's been DP on every Spielberg film since 1993 (total of 10!). The guy has the eye.





"As a cinematographer, Janusz is not 'one size fits all' he's much more of a chameleon. He takes the stories he does very seriously, and he marks up the scripts. He tells a cinematography story on top of the writer's or director's story, and he designs the photography according to the beats and measures of the narrative. Because of that, he's going to shoot differently on Jerry Maguire than he would on The Lost World." - Spielberg

The Terminal

Get ready for the movie stills...here they come.

I started collecting screen grabs while watching movies on my computer. It's been educational. A few of us were watching some old tapes of Spielberg on Biography and on Actors Studio I'd saved. He was talking about how important it is to have your film working when it's muted (with an aside that writers are still essential). So while watching some of his movies recently you start to notice how many extra cuts there are of visual information so you are not confused.

They can't fool him. He's too smart. He has more power.


Spielberg may hold your hand on some scenes, but having things clear and entertaining makes for a pleasant scene. It's a fine line. If you put the camera too high or too low the audience notices!!! But going too plain lacks interest.

Setup

Gag

Resolution


Tom Hanks had some great acting moments. This one is my favorite. He's going from TV to TV watching the news. Much of the time we can't see his face and he's just acting frantic, but finally he stops and this is what you see when he turns around.


It's great that he kept Tucci in frame on this scene, it stays long enough for us to enjoy the emotions of every character. He could have easily cut to a single of Tucci, but he doesn't deserve his own shot, he has low status and has lost this round, keep him small and defeated.

AGAIN, Tucci is defeated, he is small and at the bottom of the frame, prisoned.

I liked the solution of revealing New York City. Being stuck in the terminal, a very static, inorganic, man made environment, Hanks leaves and feels the snow fall. The city is ALSO not very organic, but the snow helps it feel more like nature than the terminal. Instead of a cut away shot of the city, he shows it in the reflection. It IS more apparent in the film as everything is moving in the shot and that reflection stands out.

Now get rid of Zeta Jones and the movie is great.

Martha Baxton Auction

This is a poster done by some friends, Pen Ward and Liz Ito, for an auction. If you know who Martha is (the heart of the CalArts char.anim. program), then go to the site below for more details on how to help out.

http://baxton.mrkurtnielsen.com/

Caleb Deschanel

Caleb Deschanel : The problem with singling out one shot is that it goes against what I believe movies should do. A film is a sum of its parts and one shot is only as strong as what has come before it. The Godfather points that out really well. It's mostly done in these very straight-on medium shots. Then you come to the scene where Marlon Brando gets shot. He's buying some stuff at a store and he sees these guys coming down the street after him and he takes off. As he's running, the film cuts to this high angle-looking straight down-and that's when Brando gets shot. That frame, which is amazing, would not have meant nearly as much if the whole film hadn't been done in this eye-level, medium shot approach. To pick out a single shot in a movie is to deny that the shot is important because of the style already established.

MM: Cause and effect within the film.

CD: Very much so. A single shot is only as strong, or weak, as the other shots surrounding it. I think if you look back at the many famous shots in movie history which people cite, you'll find a visual scheme leading up to that one moment.

Hiroshi Yoshida(1876-1950)

Although his roots were in Japanese traditions, Yoshida was a real cosmopolitan artist who merged both worlds to something new and fascinating. When looking at his prints one has the impression of being on the spot. The artist is cited with the words:

"True art is cosmopolitan and the result therefore of external influences as well as of the inherent vitality and life of the different nations".

Lines and Colors posted on this guy a little while back. Look him up. Inspired.

Conrad L. Hall

MM: If you had to come up with a single element a DP needs to succeed, what would it be?

CH: Sleep! They work you 14-16 hours a day now and it's really hard to be creative and sharp without a lot of rest! (laughs) But seriously, I believe a DP needs to stay contemporary to excel at his or her craft. You need to evolve, not just technically, but also as a person-to be wiser, kinder, more educated. To stay contemporary is to be truly alive in your work and your life.

Deakins

MM: If you had to label one quality a DP really needs to be successful in film, what would it be?

Roger Deakins: "I think, for lack of a better term, it would be a point of view. Everybody sees the world from their own perspective and this uniqueness is what the DP brings to the film, respective of the story, of course. It's tough now because so much of the industry is driven by economics, which means you're a hero if you can throw up a few soft lights and knock off a whole bunch of shots. This goes against having an idea and feeling of what is absolutely right for that story you're telling. But, if you choose carefully and find the right director, your way of seeing will leave an impression."

some more great images from Roger's films at:

http://image-par-image.blogspirit.com/archive/2005/09/24/rofer-deakins.html

Allen Daviau

MovieMaker: What kept the dream alive that you'd one day get to shoot feature films?

Allen Daviau: I think it was the inspiration from the work of all those great cinematographers who were active in the '70s. Vittorio, Vilmos, and Laszlo were amazing to me! I remember one day I was in Chicago shooting a commercial and I was having one of those "am I really doing anything with my life" depressions. I went to see Godfather II at this giant old cinema downtown. When I came out, I was so overwhelmed that I literally had to walk around the city just to calm down.

MM: You obviously were blown away by Gordon Willis's work?

AD: Absolutely. What Francis Coppola and Gordon Willis and all those other artists had done together was beyond belief. They had made this great work of art that was not a "sequel" but an extension of its predecessor. Gordon Willis had driven this huge marker into the history of the art form that said: This is how far we can go if we dare. I will never forget what seeing his work that day meant to me.

Peet and Arno

Bill Peet:


Peter Arno:

Dore. Gustave. Awesome.

More Inspiration

Hahahahahaha

"Moisture is the essence of wetness, and wetness is the essence of beauty" - Merman

How funny is THAT?

I came across this the other day. James seems like such a good sport.

This is one of my favorite Baxter scenes from Prince of Egypt. All pantomime.

Some examples of his foreshortening in front of the non-existent camera.

Some quick Doppler stuff

Frank's Hook

Thomas later said that actor Hans Conried, the voice of Hook, helped greatly in pulling the character together. "Because he could be supercilious and he would still have this underlying strength," says Thomas. "Even when he asked for his gold-plated hook, you know, when he was going to dress up to trick Tinker Bell into revealing Peter Pan's hiding place. Even there you felt that there was strength underneath this guy. He was mean and so Peter Pan really had a problem with him."
(The Nine Old Men, pg.192)

Ollie's Prince John

"He doesn't move around a real lot," says Johnston, "and my conception of the guy [Prince John] is the important things on him are the little things. He isn't the kind of guy who does a lot of movements. He really is too lazy and he only gestures. I like to see his mouth move and I like to see the expression in his eyes. Walt always said when you look at somebody, you look at their eyes."

"The thoughts are behind the eyes and behind the mouth. I have rather restrained movement on him. I like where he says 'Seize him!' and 'Stop the coach!', where he does little gestures. He wouldn't exercise more than he had to. He's a coward when it comes to fighting. He'll tell somebody else to kill or seize but he wouldn't do it himself."

-Ollie Johnston (from The Nine Old Men, pg.233)

Funny Pics

Norman Thelwell

This one's my favorite. I think I had this dream once, with everyone staring at me.

Carl Giles 1915-1995

I always liked that rainy one. The humor always baffles me though.

Charles Saxon

New Yorker cartoons are great. They seem simple to many people, but if you look closer, there are some amazing draftsmen and story tellers. I love how they use values and colors (for the covers). This artist, in particular, has some really appealing characters. (for more of this, go to www.cartoonbank.com)

This Will Make You Ecstatic!!!

Woddy has such BAD silhouette!






"SOMETIMES MORE IS NOT LESS" - Me.

What?! THERE, you happy?

Here, quit your whining and look at these for a second...

Walt Quote 2

Still working on my film (that's why there's less artwork and more inspirational stuff).

John Singer Sargent

I had heard good and bad about this guy from different painters, but when I came across these pieces I was blown away.

Ollie

Here's a picture I found in an old book called "LIFE: Smiles Back" full of LIfe magazine humor photos.

caption: "Giant engineer Ollie Johnston and his midget engine."
photographer: Richard Hartt
taken: 8/1/62